The Dresden Files > DFRPG Resource Collection
Custom Powers Master List (Work In Progress)
Sanctaphrax:
Okay, another list update is done. Changes:
- Everything from posts 421-422 except for Immortal Nature (should not be a single power) and Mind Meld (already on the list) and Telepathy (already on the list) added.
-Hyperspace Arsenal and Hollow replaced with Magical Compartment.
-Spirit Form updated.
-Long Reach updated.
-Impossible Jumps and Inhuman Balance replaced with Superhuman Acrobatics.
-Body Of Stone, Immortality, Lesser Immortality, and Undying replaced with updated Undying, Semi-Animate, and No Metabolism.
-Covenant Bond, One Of Mind, Blood Bound, and Our Powers Combined replaced with updated Pack Instincts.
-Removed some stuff that I said I removed before, but apparently didn't.
That should all be fairly uncontroversial, since it was announced beforehand. But if you object, say so and I can change stuff.
I've also made one other change, one that was not announced beforehand. I removed the Elemental Weapon power. It seems totally redundant with Natural Weaponry around. And I can't edit it to make it less so, because the original author asked me not to mess with it. So it's gone, I guess.
It looks like this:
-2 Elemental Weapon
Musts: An Aspect Related To The Power
Skill(s): Weapons
The user is able to summon a two-handed weapon made of an element of his choosing. A claymore of fire, a greataxe of ice, a hammer of rock, and a spear of lightning are all possible.
Effects
Large Weapon: Your Elemental Weapon is a large weapon, rated at Weapon 3.
Always at Hand: Your Elemental Weapon requires no sheath. It can be summoned to your hand for a Supplemental Action, and dispelled as a free action.
Attuned: Your Elemental Weapon is attuned to you. If it leaves your hand, whether dropped, thrown, or disarmed, it will vanish. A Supplemental Action may summon it to your hand again.
Made of the Elements: Your Elemental Weapon may fulfill Catches if thematically appropriate.
-1 Elemental Mastery
You may now summon two different weapons of differing elements, if you so choose.
-1 Elemental Control
When using your elemental weapon, gain a +1 to all rolls using it.
-1 Elemental Armor
You can extend your weapon's element into an armor that coats your entire body. It is automatically Armor: 1 versus most physical harm, and +2 versus the same element.
Anyone bothered by its removal?
New list length: 46 pages, 24834 words, 149080 characters.
Gatts:
If you get rid of natural weaponry, I'd consider adding its armour option to natural weaponry. And yeah, I like the massive lists of upgrades, they feel very customisable.
Sanctaphrax:
I like the armour option too, but I think that Inhuman Toughness + Human Form covers it pretty well.
Sanctaphrax:
Huh, I expected to get more flak for Magical Compartment. I didn't think it was all that well-written.
Whatever. Here are the things I plan to tackle next.
Blood Magic:
Blood Magic [Spellcraft; -1]
Musts: The ability to perform evocation
Blood Magic: You may substitute physical stress for mental stress inflicted by your own evocations. When using this power, it's all or nothing; you must choose to take all mental stress as physical stress, or none.
Blood Magic [-1]
Description: You give your lifeblood as a sacrifice to fuel your magic.
Musts: You must have thaumaturgy, evocation, sponsored magic, or some other form of magical ability.
Skills Affected: Conviction
Effects:
Power in the Blood: You may spend physical stress to cast a spell or to add power to a spell just as you would mental stress.
Deep Hurting: You may also take physical consequences to fuel magic, as you would mental consequences. These consequences add power at 1 and 1/2 times their normal value, but may not benefit from any regeneration powers or magical healing on consequences you get that power bonus from. The Blood Drinker vampirism power clears minor consequences as usual.
Aquatic Magic:
Fomor Magic [-0]
Description: You're a Fomor, not a human. Your magic reflects that.
Effect: Your magic is never impeded or removed by the presence of running water. Instead, you suffer penalties when casting magic in areas that lack water almost entirely, like deserts or indoor areas without running water.
Aquatic Caster [-1]
Description: Your magic is in tune with water and is not disrupted by its flow.
Musts: You must have thaumaturgy, evocation, sponsored magic, or some other form of magical ability. Sponsored magic often grants unique bonuses, and this may be one of them.
Skills Affected: Conviction, Discipline, Lore
Effects:
You can cast magic on water, from underwater, or through flowing water without difficulty. If you have any senses that work underwater, you may cast magic on any target you can sense in that way, even when murky or deep water obscure normal sight.
Shadow Manipulation:
Shadow Manipulation [-1]
This reminds me of some powers I helped set up for a shadow-user I GMed.
Dark Void -1
Effects: You can increase the shadows within a zone. Add the aspect sticky aspect Increased Shadows, by using discipline. This can be opposed by a counterspell.
Myrrk Void: Your shadow-increasing skills rival the Myrrk itself. Give a +1 to attempts to create shadows, and add the aspect Near-Myyrk alongside Increased Shadows.
Shadow Warp -2
You can travel from shadow to shadow with a distance up to one zone. This requires no roll, but in order to escape into the shadows while being attacked use Athletics. When emerging from the shadows, roll stealth against all nearby enemies' alertness. If you succeed, you gain a relevant aspect. If not running away, you may then make an attack as a supplametal action. (Yes, you can warp into an enemy's shadow).
Shadow Manipulation [-1]
Description: You are able to use your shadow to physically manipulate objects, not only that but your shadow is malleable to your will. You can stretch it across great distances or coalesce it into a small area.
Options: This ability costs 1 refresh to start and has several upgrades to it.
Skills Affected: Fists, Might
Effects:
Shadowy Hand. You can manipulate objects with your shadow. You can lift objects in accordance with your might, and attack using fists. Each zone away from you reduces the effectiveness of your might and fists roll by 1. The closer you are, the more effective your shadow is. Using your shadow on something in the same zone as you is easier, and you gain a +1 bonus to any such roll. In addition if you possess inhuman strength or greater your shadow gains those benefits as well.
Deeper Shadows [-1]. Increase the weapon rating of attacks made with your shadows by +2.
Lasting Shadows [-1]. Your shadows take longer to dissipate, allowing you to spread your attention across a battlefield. Any aspect placed with Shadow Manipulation automatically becomes sticky.
Wall of Shadows [-1]. Your shadows have become so dense, so impenetrable that creatures without the cloak of shadows ability are almost utterly incapable of seeing past them. You may use your Shadow Manipulation to create a defensive block opposed by alertness.
Shadows Fall [-1]. Your shadow is capable of growing much larger than it should be, allowing you to attack a whole zone with it (at a -2 penalty).
Hunger Magic:
Hunger Magic [-1]
Description: You can channel the life force you've stolen to sate your hunger in order to bolster your spells.
Musts: Feeding Dependency, Some sort of Spellcasting
Skills Affected: None
Effects:
Reach Into the Well. You may invoke one spellcasting related aspect for the cost of two hunger stress without paying a fate point.
Deeper Reserves. Since you've learned to use stolen life force for other purposes, you've also had to expand your capacity to store it. You gain one mild hunger consequence.
Telepathy:
Telepathy [-2]
Description: Maybe you access a part of the brain most people never use, maybe your a genetic aberration or scientific experiment; regardless of the exact biological explanation, the effect is the same... you can read minds. You are not a minor talent, focused practitioner, or any other form of magic wielder, your ability is biological. Despite this fact, some crazy zealots calling themselves "wardens" may not give you time to explain that fact before attempting to remove your head.
Musts: Either a template or aspect denoting your ability with the non-magical psychic arts is required. Magic and Psychic powers (the real ones, not the magical imitations) don't play well together. In the event that any mortal magic power (Evocation, Thaumaturgy, Channeling, Ritual) is taken, the character must remove the Telepathy power and regain all refresh spent on it. It is recommended that Sponsored Magic follow the same rule, although the final decision for any specific sponsor is left to the group.
Skills Affected: Conviction (page YS:124), Discipline (page YS:127), and Empathy (page YS:129)
Effects:
An Open Book. People are easy to understand when you can hear the thoughts they project into the world. Gain a +2 to Empathy and any time requirements are decreased by one shift. Where appropriate targets defend with Discipline instead of the normal social skill.
Dig A Bit Deeper. Some say a person's trash is the best way to learn about them, they're wrong. When using this ability you connect your mind to that of your target, allowing access to thoughts below the surface. At the same time, some of your thoughts and emotions will bleed over into their mind. You may spend a fate point to stop your thoughts from entering the targets mind; however, the target may also spend a fate point, in which case you will not gain any of their thoughts. In the case of NPCs that have no fate points, roll Empathy defended by the target's Discipline to determine if the player gains any information. This skill can not be used more then once per scene. A fate point must be spent on any attempt against a target after the first.
Mind Trick. These are not the droids you are looking for. By rolling Empathy defended by a target's Discipline, you may place a simple suggestion into their unconscious mind. There is no explicit limit to the number of times this ability may be used on a single target, but it is highly recommended that NPC targets receive an increasing bonus to their defense roll on each attempt after the first.
Mental Fortitude [-1]. Taking this upgrade will grant two additional boxes of mental stress capacity (page YS:201).
Mental Fortress [-1]. If this upgrade is taken, you naturally have Armor:1 against all mental stress.
Psychic Strike [-2]. Purchasing this upgrade turns your mind into a weapon. Discipline may be used to make a direct psychic attack, dealing mental stress and consequences. The victim may defend with Discipline, however counter-attacks are not generally possible. Regardless of the success or failure, the attacker takes an automatic point of mental stress each time this ability is used.
Reading the Surface [-1]
Description: You are a natural psychic, and can read the surface thoughts of individuals around you. This is not a violation of the laws of magic, as the thoughts "radiate" out from the thinkers mind.
Effects:
Parsing the Waves. You may use discipline to defend against deceit attacks and maneuvers instead of the usual skill, and possibly in place of other skills whenever the GM deems it appropriate. On a successful defense against a social attack while using "Reading the Surface" you may place the aspect "Open Book" on the attacker. This aspect lasts for one exchange (not sticky) and may be tagged for a bonus on any other social roll.
Being A Swarm:
Swarm of Nasties (-3): Somehow, one body just isn't enough. Whether you're turning into a swarm of bats and flying off into the night, or a pile of venomous leeches, somebody's going to get freaked out. Requires previous shapeshifting ability.
When turned into a swarm, gain
Physical immunity (catch is area attacks + normal weaknesses)
Demonic Copilot (either your subconscious desires or actual demons)
*Everything is Big (as everything is small, but reverse the penalties and bonuses.)
In exchanged, lose all ranged attacking potential, and the ability to block.
SWARM BODY [–3]
Description: Rather than one entity, your body is made from a multitude of lesser creatures, making you more difficult to harm.
Musts: This power comes with its own specific Catch (see page 185). If you suffer physical consequences, they must take into account the non-singular nature of your body; a demon with a body made from five-hundred-and-two stone crabs is unlikely to suffer a Broken Arm.
Skills Affected: Endurance, other physical skills.
Effects:
Chipping Away. Physical attacks cannot inflict more than one stress on you at a time; no matter how devastating the blow, it can only target a small part of your “body”. The effects of this power are applied after additions and subtractions from weapons and armour; wielding a sword will not appreciably increase one’s ability to fight off a swarm of bees (by the same token, bees do not classically benefit from wearing kevlar).
Specific Catch. Unlike other Toughness powers, Swarm Body comes with its own preset Catch, which offers no discount. The effects of this power are completely bypassed by area attacks; that is, those attacks that encompass a great majority of the target’s body. Diminutive insect swarms would be thus affected by sprayed insecticide, while a human-sized enemy would be vulnerable to flamethrowers or suitable evocations, and even larger swarms might require more extreme measures to seriously damage. Note that a clever maneuver might force a swarm into a confined space or formation, and thereby reduce the size of the attack necessary to harm it.
Mental Toughness:
Inhuman Stoicism [-2]
Description: Your mind is abnormally stout, withstanding far more abuse then the average human.
Musts: No protection against self-inflicted attacks or stress is provided. You must attach this power to an appropriate mental Catch (page YS:185).
Skills Affected: Conviction (page YS:124), other mental skills.
Effects:
Hard to Twist. You naturally have Armor:1 against all mental stress.
Hard to Break. You have two additional boxes of mental stress capacity.
Supernatural Stoicism [–4]
Description: Your mind can handle trauma that would normally destroy a person.
Musts: This ability replaces Inhuman Stoicism. No protection against self-inflicted attacks or stress is provided. You must attach this power to an appropriate mental Catch (page YS:185).
Skills Affected: Conviction (page YS:124), other mental skills.
Effects:
Harder to Twist. You naturally have Armor:2 against all mental stress.
Harder to Break. You have four additional boxes of mental stress capacity.
Mythic Stoicism [–6]
Description: The durability of your mind is beyond the mortal scale.
Musts: You must have permission to purchase this ability. This ability replaces Inhuman or Supernatural Stoicism. No protection against self-inflicted attacks or stress is provided. You must attach this power to an appropriate mental Catch (page YS:185).
Skills Affected: Conviction (page YS:124), other mental skills.
Effects:
Nearly Impossible to Twist. You naturally have Armor:3 against all mental stress.
Nearly Impossible to Break. You have six additional boxes of mental stress capacity.
Inhuman Mental Resilience (-1)
You add 1 to your mental stress track. There is no catch vs this power, and you can not take other powers that would increase your mental stress. (Stoicism for instance.)
Supernatural Mental Resilience (-2)
Add 2 boxes to your mental stress. This power otherwise acts like Inhuman Mental Resilience.
Mythic Mental Resilience (-3)
Add 3 boxes to your mental stress. This Power otherwise functions like inhuman mental Resilience.
Powers That Negate All Creatures Are Equal Before God:
The Catch and Only the Catch (-3)
Life for Mortals is not fair, get over it!
Must: 1 Toughness Power
World Don’t Work That Way!: Your Toughness Powers can only be overcome by the Catch and only the Catch. This Power counts as a Toughness Power for determining total cost.
(Designer Note: If the Catch for the Toughness Powers are too unreasonable a Game Master can disallow a Player from choosing this Power; so as to prevent some super-munchkin from taking an absurd Catch and making it the only way to harm them.)
[-3] There Is No Salvation
There are many powers in the world that make it their business to level the playing field and give inferior creatures a "fair" chance by rewarding their inferiority.
Sometimes though, rejoice, despair, Fate does not care. This is where you come in; removing all external crutches you put all creatures in their rightful place in the world.
Effect: Pay a Fate point. For the duration of the scene, only your actual catch can negate your toughness and recovery powers.
Mindless:
MINDLESS [-1]
Description: You don't have a mind. Either you mindlessly obey others or you simply execute a complex program.
Musts: You must take an aspect to represent the thing that you use instead for a mind. For example, THE MERLIN'S PROPERTY or PROGRAMMED TO KILL.
Skills Affected: Mental and social skills
Note: This power requires excellent justification if taken by a character with positive refresh. Not for balance reasons, but for logical reasons. As such, this power is mostly unsuitable for player characters.
Effects:
No Mind. As a mindless creature, you cannot be attacked mentally. Duh. You have no mental stress track and never take mental stress. You are not immune to social stress, but social attacks and maneuvers have no effect on your actions even if you are taken out. So unless someone wants to ruin your reputation or credibility, there's no point attacking you socially.
Incapable Of Thought. Not being able to think has its downsides. You may not use any skill trapping that, in the GM's opinion, involves thought.
Superior Instincts/Programming [-1]. The complexity of your program or your instincts is impressive. Select one skill trapping. Ignore the effects of Incapable Of Thought on that trapping. This trapping may be purchased multiple times.
Sanctaphrax:
Let's start with aquatic magic. I'm dropping Fomor Magic because vultur's Sponsored Magic makes it redundant and I like the other power better anyway. Here's a cleaned up version of the other power:
AQUATIC SPELLCASTING [-1]
Description: Your magic is in tune with water and is not disrupted by its flow.
Musts: You must possess some kind of spellcasting ability in order to take this power.
Skills Affected: Conviction, Discipline, Lore
Effects:
Aquatic Spellcasting. Your magic is not impeded by water, running or otherwise.
Thoughts?
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